Protecting Erhai to create long-term benefits: CWEG, SJTU School of Environmental Science and Engineering, and SJTU Education Development Foundation jointly set up SJTU Erhai Lake Governance Talent Development Fund

      On November 16, 2019, the 20th anniversary celebration of the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU) was held at the Minhang campus. CWEG Chairman Hou Feng, Managing Director Chen Ming, and Vice President Zhang Lujing attended the event. Professor Zhu Lizhong, Director of the Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences at Zhejiang University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor Raimund Bleischwitz, Director of the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources at University College London, and Professor Douglas Evans, President of the International Environmental Science Research Center, delivered speeches at the celebration.
      Secretary Jiang Sixian recognized the achievements of the school over the past 20 years, and also expressed hopes for its continuous growth.
      Dean Geng Yong reviewed the 20-year history of the school and its achievements. Since its establishment in 1999, the school has been thriving relying on the efforts of each teacher and student, and the advantages of SJTU in engineering, management, medicine, among others. At present, it has developed strengths in eight research areas such as pollution control and remediation of basins, soil and groundwater remediation, and functional materials for environmental remediation; trained a wealth of talent expertizing in environmental protection and engineering; and produced a series of influential research findings, playing an important role in promoting the implementation of key national strategies and local environmental protection.
      Since his first visit to the Erhai Lake, the “Mother Lake” of Dali, Professor Kong Hainan has been engaged in the protection of the lake for decades. He was studying abroad when he was told that he was needed to carry out the governance of the Erhai Lake. Without any hesitation, he returned to China. Despite the family history of heart disease, he still spent over 200 days in Dali every year. He once said that he’d like to spend every effort to promote China’s lake and reservoir governance until the end of life.
       CWEG, SJTU School of Environmental Science and Engineering, and SJTU Education Development Foundation jointly set up the SJTU Erhai Lake Governance Talent Development Fund.
      In accordance with the “Ecological Civilization Thought” proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, CWEG set up the SJTU Erhai Lake Governance Talent Development Fund together with SJTU School of Environmental Science and Engineering, and SJTU Education Development Foundation, as a part of its action to perform social responsibility. CWEG Chairman Hou Feng in his speech introduced the governance process of the Erhai Lake, and convinced, “I believe that the fund will grow sustainably, driving the governance of the Erhai Lake, and the development of scientific talent.”
      The fund provides a platform on which CWEG will, relying on its technological, financial and management advantages, work with academic experts to address issues like environmental protection, talent development and the application of research findings, in a bid to promote the high-quality green development of the Erhai Lake, turning ecological benefits into economic benefits.
      Experts including Wang Zongguang and Ma Dexiu, former Secretaries of the CPC SJTU Committee, Xie Shengwu and Zhang Jie, former Presidents of SJTU, and Zhang Ansheng, former Vice President of SJTU, attended the ceremony.
      The day before, SJTU School of Environmental Science and Engineering held the 2019 SJTU Environmental Science and Engineering Strategic Development Consulting Conference at the Minhang campus. CWEG Chairman Hou Feng attended the conference, and was hired as a distinguished expert of the Strategic Development Advisory Committee of the SJTU School of Environmental Science and Engineering. Professor Liu Congqiang, Dean of the Institute of Surfer-Earth System Science at Tianjin University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Zhu Lizhong, Director of the Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences at Zhejiang University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, et al. were also hired as distinguished experts of the Strategic Development Advisory Committee of SJTU School of Environmental Science and Engineering.